Life sciences firms in England and Wales are hiring R&D and laboratory scientists in record numbers as the government continues to champion the UK abroad as a global life sciences hub post-Brexit, new research shows.
According to a report by specialist recruiters Cpl Life Sciences and data analysts Vacancysoft, the sector overall enjoyed a buoyant and record-breaking year in 2021, with levels of all new jobs growing by 37 per cent year-on-year. Scientific recruitment for R&D, clinical, and management vacancies grew by 70 per cent, 88 per cent and 86 per cent year-on-year, respectively – reaching new milestones for industry hiring.
At over 1,100 vacancies, laboratory roles made up the bulk of the new jobs, accounting for 17.3 per cent of total scientific hiring. This represented a 100 per cent year-on-year rise, and a 192 per cent surge compared to pre-pandemic levels. The fastest year-on-year growth was experienced by hiring for scientific professionals in clinical management (210 per cent), clinical operations (167 per cent) and microbiology (162 per cent).
“The UK demonstrated throughout the pandemic how effective it can be when industry, academia, government, charities, and the NHS all work together,” said Yvette Cleland, CEO, Cpl Life Sciences. “One of the clearest measures for the achievements of the life sciences sector – one of the dominant knowledge-based economic sectors in Britain – is through the prism of numbers of jobs on the market.
“Central to the government’s Life Sciences Vision is a focus on cultivating a business environment where firms can access finance to innovate and grow, are regulated in an agile and efficient way, and are incentivised to onshore manufacturing and commercialise products in the UK,” she added. “For this vision to transpire, each life sciences organisation must also step up with tangible investments and actions in training for future skills.”
